The joke is based on the Elcor. In the Mass Effect universe, they communicate through a bunch of different ways that aren't picked up on by other species(really subtle body language type things, don't remember the exact reason they gave). Because of this their speech is monotone since that is not how they normally express emotion, so they have learned to plainly state the emotion they are having at the start of their sentences.dalek sec said:I hate to sound stupid but I don't get this comic. Could someone out here be nice enough to explain it to me? D:
I haven't played any of the Mass Effect games yet...
You're not making the distinction between a joke where rape is mentioned and a rape joke.Grey Carter said:I think you're being too kind to Penny Arcade there. I found the Dickwolves strip hilarious and all but is still a rape joke, it's using the concept of rape (even in a ridiculous context) as a mid punchline.Azuaron said:ETA: You know... the whole Dickwolf thing did not start as a valid complaint against a rape joke, since it wasn't really a joke about rape (the humor was in the patent heartlessness of the PC). But this right here is a definite rape joke. Come on, guys, seriously? Anytime your pitch for a joke involves, "It's funny because he's going to be raped," get a new joke.
The main thrust (sorry) of this joke is the application of the Elcor's strange speech pattern to a more extreme situation. But at it's core, like the Penny Arcade joke, it's still a rape joke.
Moriarty70 said:This whole thread made me think of Elcor in bed with another species;
"False Joy: That's the spot, keep going, yes yes yes."
Welcome to Earth, Mr. Alien!standokan said:So this seems to be incredibly funny, but since I never played mass effect, I don´t understand.
If you think romancing Tali was some kind of set up for a complex romantic dragedy instead of simple fanservice you're seriously overestimating the writing in the mass effect series.Ghengis John said:As an asides I've always thought the Tali "I took some herbal supplements" line was pretty weak, especially since herbal supplements usually = voodoo snake oil witchcraft. As a special surprise for people who slept with tali in mass effect 3, she should now be dying.
It's not horrifying or brutal however because the situation in which it's employed is inherently ridiculous. I believe you're projecting your own intent onto the PA strip, especially when you consider the followup strip, which in fact, does trivialize rape.Azuaron said:You're not making the distinction between a joke where rape is mentioned and a rape joke.
The Penny Arcade strip used rape as the most horrible thing they could think of: rape was not trivialized or an expected consequence, it was brutal and horrifying, and the heartlessness of the PC is amplified by it. This is how rape should be viewed.
Elcor/Volus rape is not analogous to male on male rape because, as far as I'm aware (and I admit, my experience in this regard is limited), male humans do not explode, releasing a cloud of highly poisonous superheated gas when someone attempts to rip their clothes off. In that regard, an Elcor attempting to rape a Volus is actually rather funny.In this strip, rape is the joke. It's an "expected" and "acceptable" part of going to jail, just another aspect of justice. The joke's only funny if the thought of the Elcor raping the Volus is funny, a stand-in for rape is funny when it is male on male. That's messed up.
Okay you just sent me into a fit of laughter.Grey Carter said:Elcor/Volus rape is not analogous to male on male rape because, as far as I'm aware (and I admit, my experience in this regard is limited), male humans do not explode, releasing a cloud of highly poisonous superheated gas when someone attempts to rip their clothes off. In that regard, an Elcor attempting to rape a Volus is actually rather funny.
Oh... well that explains alot then. Thank you very much for taking the time to explain it to me.Tarlane said:The joke is based on the Elcor. In the Mass Effect universe, they communicate through a bunch of different ways that aren't picked up on by other species(really subtle body language type things, don't remember the exact reason they gave). Because of this their speech is monotone since that is not how they normally express emotion, so they have learned to plainly state the emotion they are having at the start of their sentences.
It was a bit of a punchline in game anyway since they pretty plainly tell you when they aren't being very sincere or are patronizing, but expressing it in the way of this sort of level is meant to be the joke here.
Sigh. Really?Ghengis John said:As an asides I've always thought the Tali "I took some herbal supplements" line was pretty weak, especially since herbal supplements usually = voodoo snake oil witchcraft. As a special surprise for people who slept with tali in mass effect 3, she should now be dying.
Ah but you forget, we're not talking about the cleanliness of the SSV Normandy, but the cleanliness of Shepard's mass relay. Which for my money will have visited more alien ports than the Normandy.Kermi said:When Tali visits Shepard before the suicide mission, she not only mentions herbal supplements (which can be effective if you choose proven ones - let's assume Tali didn't take risks with her life by buying the 'voodoo snake oil witchcraft' variety - she also flooded her system with antibiotics, and the Normandy while probably not as sterile as the Migrant Fleet, is probably still relatively clean.
You mean after being reconstructed from his charred remains by Project Lazarus?Ghengis John said:Ah but you forget, we're not talking about the cleanliness of the SSV Normandy, but the cleanliness of Shepard's mass relay. Which for my money will have visited more alien ports than the Normandy.Kermi said:When Tali visits Shepard before the suicide mission, she not only mentions herbal supplements (which can be effective if you choose proven ones - let's assume Tali didn't take risks with her life by buying the 'voodoo snake oil witchcraft' variety - she also flooded her system with antibiotics, and the Normandy while probably not as sterile as the Migrant Fleet, is probably still relatively clean.
Sigh on that!